TF2 FreakShow Wiki:Official Guide
When editing or creating new articles, a set of rules must be followed: General Rules FIRST OF ALL: This is NOT your place to come in and create/write about a Freak from thin air. What this wikia aims for is to have concise but informative articles about TF2 characters who appear in various videos (Garry's Mod or SFM) that people have already made and posted on YouTube. Failure to adhere to the rules, especially when deliberate/repeating, may result in a block. Read the Blocking Policy to learn more. *To earn an article on this wiki, a TF2 Monster has to have at least one notable YouTube video appearance which provides a good depiction of the Monster's nature, habits and traits. Even a few extremely short videos and cameos are not enough to validate an article on their own. Videos which are considered as notable must have a minimum of 2000 views (or 7500 for Classic Monsters) and a positively good reception (substantially more likes than dislikes). *Take the information only from reliable sources. Videos of the Monster's creator are obviously the best, but videos by other authors that are popular and have been accepted by the community are also a valuable source of data. *If a Monster has appeared in videos made by various authors, make sure that the information you add comes only from videos that are credible, consistent with the original, preferably well-received and potentially even approved by the creator of the Monster. *Make sure you put the information in a coherent, well-written way. Also, remember to write your articles according to the uniform style established below. You may use already completed articles for reference when contributing, particularly those which have achieved Featured status. *Do not add made-up information. Unless you are the particular Monster's creator, include data only from already published YouTube videos. Whereas in select cases speculation is permitted, it must be described as such. *This is a wiki for Monsters that have already made their debut on YouTube, which is their main domain. If you want to write an article for a Monster that is going to debut soon, you must create a "Warehouse" subpage for your profile to store your pre-made article. **If a Freak has appeared in a single video, it is strongly advisable to contact any of the Administrators of the wiki and let them decide whether the character can be allowed to get on the wiki before creating an article for the Freak in question. Otherwise the article will be quickly deleted. **In adition, do not use your "warehouse" page as your personal private space to violate the above rule. Warehouse Freaks are expected to appear within a short time of being added. There is a separate wiki for Freak Concepts you should use for the ones that don't have a video planned instead. *Keep in mind that not all Garry's Mod/SFM characters are considered Freaks; they must have certain qualities which distinguish them from regular mercenaries. Contact the Admins if you are not sure whether the character you want to create a new page for is actually considered a Freak. **The "X as Y" characters, that is, a certain established character's traits in another character's body, are not allowed on the TF2 FreakShow Wiki. These include any characters from a film/show/book/video game, or an established Freak in a different TF2 class body. Unless they really do have something that makes them distinct, they will not be added to the Wiki. **Combat is an essential element of the TF2 Freak World. Various TF2 Monsters possess varying levels of power, which are closely related to their reception by the community. Classic TF2 Monsters are widely accepted as some of the most powerful in existence. However, brand new Freaks with poorly-designed and overpowered abilities are frowned upon by the community, and the TF2 FreakShow Wiki, as a significant part of that very community, will not tolerate such creations. *Regular users are not permitted to delete content from articles and talk pages. However, in cases of reverting overt vandalism or whilst improving an article they might remove relevant parts of the article in question if sensibly justified. *In order to prevent articles getting cluttered with links, don't add those of weapons/cosmetics that Freaks use if they're found in the Official TF2 Wiki. You may only have external links to custom skins/weapons/cosmetics, and, under the admin's consent, link to the character/media a Freak draws inspiration from and/or a wikipedia link to an uncommon concept. *This is not a place for fanart, forum and deviantART characters. This wiki deals only with Freaks appearing on YouTube. *Always follow any potential guidelines you encounter elsewhere on this wiki. *Do not create new categories or move Warehouse subpages to full-fledged articles without an Adminstrator's consent. *Whilst editing, maintain neutrality and professional attitude at all times. There is no place for biased opinions and prejudices in an encyclopaedia. *If an article has consistent spelling in either American or British English, do not change it. When necessary, expand it using the appropriate dialect. *Do not copy and paste articles from the Garry's Mod Wiki. You may use it for reference, but write the articles in your own words. We also ask that you do not copy our content over to other wiki's (including the Garry's Mod wiki). *This is a wiki for Team Fortress 2 Monsters; avoid adding content regarding anything not TF2-related. *Pictures uploaded to the wiki, but not used in any article for more than two weeks are immediately deleted after that period of time. *The Talk Pages for articles are used to discuss a certain point of the page it belongs; it is not for speculation, made up facts or anything else. Likewise, User Talk Pages must be used only to ask questions that will ultimately benefit the wikia's layout or to discuss ideas or new features the wiki may utilize. *Role-playing as Freaks is prohibited. Accounts may have the same name as a Freak only if the owner of said account is also the creator of said Freak and the Freak in question qualifies for an article. (Warehouse articles may be considered an exception.) This is not an RP wiki. Article Layout Heading The heading must include a properly filled character infobox template of colour corresponding to the particular TF2 Freak. Each infobox template page contains an appropriate guideline. Notes: #Remember to name the portrait images appropriately, in order to avoid inadvertent replacement of another, pre-existing image. #A one-time alliance or fight between two Freaks does not automatically make them Allies or Enemies. Be sure to double check before adding a character in here. Following the character infobox, an easily identifiable quote should follow. Afterward, include a brief introduction to the article. Standard intro template: "Generic is a COLOUR Class TF2 Freak created by YouTube user YTUser (creator's name linked to their YouTube profile)." May include short information about the Monster's theme(s). Main Body Appearance An optional section which details the Freak's appearance. May contain links to specific items equipped, custom models/skins etc. Biography For characters that appear in video series with defined storylines one can write a concise summary of their adventures. If a character has a known origin, but otherwise has no defined story, the section should be called Origin and be written accordingly. If a character has no known origin, but has appeared in numerous videos enough to give the character in question a defined story, the section should be called Involvement and be written accordingly as well. Be wary that only videos that are canon (monster behaves as he should) and approved by the creator or otherwise the majority of the community should be counted towards the story. Personality and Behaviour An important section that describes the above traits of the Monster. Habits, quirks, individual preferences, hobbies and character traits should be included here. Powers and Abilities This section details the special abilities possessed by the particular Freak, whether they are actual super-powers, traits or specific skills. Faults and Weaknesses Contains information on the known and/or theorised weaknesses and exploitable faults of the character in question, like vulnerability to specific things or personality traits that may be taken advantage of by potential opponents. Trivia Optional section that may contain additional data provided by the creator, interesting facts about the Monster that do not fit anywhere else in the article, curious observations, etc. Note: This section is not a place to include everything off the top of one's head. Include only information that is relevant, notable and genuinely interesting. Notable Videos A vital section that includes a list of links to videos where the Freak appears. Videos listed in this section must feature the Freak prominently, and behaving in a manner consistent with the way the Freak is depicted by the creator. In addition, the videos should have good reception. There is no definite upper limit regarding the number of videos listed, but 15-20 should be plenty enough. For recent characters, the debut video must have 2000+ views in order to be recognised. Newer appearances require a view count of at least 1000. Notable videos about Classic Monsters listed in the section must have 7500+ views. If a recognised TF2 Freak appears in an episode of a video series where one is a recurring character, such episodes might be listed regardless of the view count. In case where the recognised TF2 Freak does not have many appearances in general, all videos featuring the character might be listed as long as they have good reception. Remember to list the videos chronologically. Categories Remember to properly categorise the article. Creator, class, morality alignment and team colour categories are applicable to all TF2 Freaks. Others concern their fighting styles, nature and habits. Check the existing categories and add the relevant ones. Arrange the categories in an alphabetic order. Category:Organization